MCI’s Shaw headed to Husson

Maine Central Institute of Pittsfield star forward Steph Shaw signed an official NAIA Letter of Intent Tuesday to continue her basketball career at Husson College in Bangor.

The signing of Shaw was announced Tuesday by Husson College women’s Coach Kissy Walker.

“We’re very excited to have her,” Walker said. “I’ve wanted her since the beginning of the season. She’s a quality person both academically and athletically. She’s only 5-9, but at our level, she can do very well playing both inside and outside.”

Shaw said, “I did a lot of thinking and Kissy has been in contact with me a lot. I just felt that I would be comfortable playing for her.”

Shaw added that Husson passing its new sports management program helped her decide to pick the Bangor school. She hopes to become an athletic director or own her own health club in the future.

Shaw also looked seriously at the Univeristy of Massachusetts in Amherst, a Division I program, and Lock Haven (Penn.) College (Div.II).

“I was looking at playing basketball (at UMass), but I think I might have been in over my head,” Shaw added.

The 5-9 forward scored 1,143 points over her four-year career at MCI. The total is a school record for boys and girls basketball.

This past season, Shaw averaged 18 points a game and 11 rebounds.

“(Going to Husson) is going to be good for Steph,” said MCI Coach Julie Treadwell, who played with Walker at the University of Maine. “Hopefully, she’ll be able to step right in and contribute. But she’d be able to play coming off the bench, too. Plus, it’ll be nice to be able to watch her play for four more years.”

Shaw, a four-year starter for Treadwell at MCI, joins Ellsworth’s Melanie Newman as one of two Husson recruits who have, thus far, signed to play for the Braves next season.

Husson, which finished as the NAIA District 5 runnerup this season, will lose six seniors after this year.